Polish born Patrycja Domanska is an up and coming product designer based in Austria. She reinterprets classical pieces of furniture, cleverly twisting its shape or its material out of conventions, such as her work around variations of « Dress a bulb » exhibited at Vienna’s Design week back in April. She is among one of the young designers blowing a strong wind of modernity on the Austrian capital, turning it into an essential design’s platform.

Design wasn’t an obvious path for Patrycja who discovered applied arts a bit out of a blue, wandering at the Art University of Vienna. « I have to admit that before I didn't realize that these studies even exist and as the only child of parents who have never studied I have been confronted my whole life to learn a ‘proper’ job like interpreter or lawyer. Nevertheless this open day at the Art University triggered something in me and I tried to get in ».
And she did well. Shall it be related to her own story or not, Patrycja nurtures a fascination for nomads, their way of life and the vital flexibility that must inhabits their belongings. Quoting the « Architecturas vases » by Apparatu as one of her favorite design of the moment (editor’s note: so do we!) is a good clue of her attachment to the exploration of social changes that embodies Patycja’s attentive creative approach. « The nomad is an umbrella term for what I have a fable: structures, textiles, archetypes, modularity in terms of having a certain freedom in the decision of how to use an object or the different relationships that can be build between man and object.
When it comes to product design, I think that nowadays this plays an essential role. In an abstract way we all are nomads through the possibilities we have of moving around the world. Or even just through the same city into another apartment. So the products we buy have to work in different scenarios ».

Speaking of scenarios, let’s talk about the journey of her project « Edgy », that began back in 2007 while she was still studying in cooperation wit Tanja Lightfoot. « At first it was an acoustic module folded out of one piece of cardboard. And out of fun we took the shape and started to pour it in porcelain in 2011 and published it on design blogs. Then some exhibitions followed and a lot of press. And in 2014 we got in contact with KAZA Concrete, a company specialized in wall shaping 3D tiles made out of concrete. So 7 years and 3 materials later finally the product worked out for the market. What is unbelievable for us, is that the shape is still attractive ».

Always challenging herself to link form and function, Patrycja masters in smart design - wether it comes from questioning cultural backgrounds, technologies that lead her to design the « Holo » lamp, or experimental concepts to be seen in « Last night I dreamed » - she never ceases to seek adjusting her design to its context.
She also demonstrates a subtle yet intense neutral color palette. To her, it’s not about colors’ trends but about finding the right shade. « I believe that the color itself is at least as important as the shape and the idea behind a project ». All these elements must match. For instance, « Lawa », a project created in collaboration with Felix Gieselmann and commissioned by FLEISCH Magazin speaks for itself about color. Together they came up with the idea of doing something out of the box which would have a strong visual impact on a printed media. « And the word ‘Lawa’ already implements a color association that needed to be satisfied in order to underline the idea ».

Pragmatic in her creation, Patrycja is equally consistent when it comes to not mincing her words, talking without shyness about one of today’s main issue for young designers. Speaking truthfully about the taboo and global denial surrounding the financial aspect of design, she says: « As a young designer its often the case that people expect you to be thankful that you get something into production, or that you can make a contribution to a magazine or that you are allowed to design a piece for a museum. This attitude is a real issue…because in the end the financial part is also a kind of appreciation and being product designer is a real job ».
There’s no doubt that her voice is being heard, as she is now working on a solo exhibition at the MAK Wien. So if you ever fancy a trip to Vienna to have a look at her show, she recommends you to stop by « Disco Volante » for a pizza and to check out the super fun interior design.
As she said, « Baba » ! (editor’s note: bye!)